Handbook of Pentecostal Christianity

Article excerpt

Ours is an age of handbooks and companion volumes--and for good reason, as we all need sources we can turn to that provide informed and reliable overviews by experts in a particular field. This small handbook on the complex and timely topic of Pentecostal Christianity delivers the basics and more. The book has two primary objectives: to assist instructors wanting to introduce their students to Pentecostalism and to serve as a "compact companion" for the general reader. The twenty-four authors from five continents treat fifty topics from a range of disciplinary perspectives. The entries are concise and engaging, treating the history, theology, practices, and contemporary forms of Pentecostalism through the lens of a particular term, concept, or figure, ending with a brief set of references and suggestions for further reading.

As the editor rightly states, the various entries can be read separately as needed. Some of them treat expected topics such as the Azusa Street Mission and Revival, baptism of the Holy Spirit, exorcism, prophecy, snake handling, healing, and the Word of Faith movement. …